I'll be ordering a 535i at either the end of the month or the beginning of July. I've been told by several local BMW dealers that ordering info for the 2012's will be announced by month-end and I'm waiting to see if there'll be any new colors available. I'm hoping that with the introduction of the M5, they might add a new blue that'll be exclusive to the M Sport option: Le Mans Blue or possibly Monte Carlo Blue (expected for the M5, although doubtful on the M Sport).

With the E60 5 series, you could order the M Sport package with Deep Sea Blue, which to my eye looks great. With the current 3-series, they ADDED an exclusive color choice - Le Mans Blue - that's ONLY available with the M Sport option.

So what'd they do on the F10 5's ? Not only isn't there a unique blue like on the 3's, but they won't allow a DSB car to have M Sport. Yes, I know that there's always Imperial Blue with M Sport as an option, but it's too dark. And trust me, I know my BMW Blues (I owned an '01 E38 740i with Sport Package in Steel Blue, my wife drives an '08 E65 750i with Sport Package in Monaco Blue, same color as my daughter's '08 335i, my '05 K1200S is Indigo Blue and Alpine White, etc.).

I even looked into special ordering a 2011 M Sport in DSB, but was told it would cost an extra $5,500. I might be willing to cough up an extra $2,500-$3,000 for this sweet combination, but even I realize it would be bone-headed to spend $5.5K just for a different color blue.

How about carbon black with th M-sport. Is is a blue that looks black in low light and blue in sunlight. Beautiful color and exclusive to M-sport. At least in USA. Many photos here and on bimmerfest.com

How about carbon black with th M-sport. Is is a blue that looks black in low light and blue in sunlight. Beautiful color and exclusive to M-sport. At least in USA. Many photos here and on bimmerfest.com

Thanks for your reply. In direct, bright sunlight, I agree that carbon black is an awesome color... but otherwise, in overcast conditions, or at night, indoors, etc., it's way too dark a "blue" for me; pretty much might as well just be black. Since Imperial Blue is too dark for my tastes, Carbon Black won't cut it for me either.

ALSO, you can't order a 535i in CB, only the 550i. But if you like CB, and are getting the 8 cylinder 5, and want the M Sport option, then it's the perfect choice, with the bonus being that it’s ONLY available with the M Sport option. Great, I like the exclusivity… you won’t see any non-M Sport CB cars on the road. I just wish BMW would add this same exclusivity for one of the lighter blues (like Le Mans or Monte Carlo) on the 535i with M Sport. Or just let me order Deep Sea Blue with the M Sport !

The fact that the carbon black changes is what I like about it. I like blue colors, but might tire of them over time. The color changing aspect makes it exclusive also. When you can't get a car in a color that satisfies your taste it is frustrating for sure. Best of luck.

Are you sure about that ? The BMW configurator only lets you choose Carbon Black on the 550i (13 color choices total) but not on the 528i or 535i (12 color options total). If I'm mistaken, I'd like to know. Thx.

BMW does give you a choice to special order paint, they just charge you a lot $5000. if you really want that color and willing to spend $3000, then why not just suck it up and pay an extra 2 grand?

I don't know, $5,000 (or is it $5,500?) is just too much to pay for a special order color, when I'd be really happy just to get an existing color (Deep Sea Blue) with the M Sport option. Maybe for a truly rare (one-of-a-kind?) combo on a 535i like Le Mans Blue, but the way I'm spec'ing out the car, it's going to have a $68K MSRP, and to add on ANOTHER $5,500 for special paint is just over the top, IMHO. Thanks for the input.

Are you sure about that ? The BMW configurator only lets you choose Carbon Black on the 550i (13 color choices total) but not on the 528i or 535i (12 color options total). If I'm mistaken, I'd like to know. Thx.

What about buying a deep sea car, and adding the M-sport Front/rear later??

Any idea what the cost would be ? I'm sure it'd cost way more than I'd expect it to be, probably cheaper just to pay the $5.5K for special order paint up front. Plus, there are other trim items that come with the M Sport package I still wouldn't have, like wheels, steering wheel, M badging, etc.

Hm, I was ordering a non M-Sport colour. This is always possible via BMW Individual. I'm living in Munich and the additional price was 1.000€. Therefore I "only" had to pay the price for the metallic-paint 2 times.

Btw my F10 535d is saphire-black;

Habsinger from Munich

PS: I know it should be lowered, but I don't want to loose warranty in case of any possible suspension issue they always will relate to the modification!

edit: I have problems with uploading pics, therefore it'll take a while before all pictures are up.
edit1: moved pics to separate thread!

Thanks for sharing your photos; your car looks great. I'm not sure if we can even order BMW Individual on a 5 series in the USA. I know the configurator allows for this on the 7's, but not the 5. Can anyone answer this ?

Are you sure about that ? The BMW configurator only lets you choose Carbon Black on the 550i (13 color choices total) but not on the 528i or 535i (12 color options total). If I'm mistaken, I'd like to know. Thx.

I was also under the impression that Carbon Black was not available for m-sport 528s/535s. However, when I went to order my F10, my CA surprisingly told me I could order an m-sport 528 in Carbon Black. I didn't believe him at first knowing that the online configurator didn't allow it and figured that when he went to place the order for the vehicle, he would call me with bad news. But he immediately showed me a car which was already at the port that was a Carbon Black m-sport 528. I was, to say the least, pleasantly surprised.

btw, I think ordering a Sport Pack deep sea blue vehicle and then changing the bumpers to m-sport will be the cheapest/easiest option.

I was also under the impression that Carbon Black was not available for m-sport 528s/535s. However, when I went to order my F10, my CA surprisingly told me I could order an m-sport 528 in Carbon Black. I didn't believe him at first knowing that the online configurator didn't allow it and figured that when he went to place the order for the vehicle, he would call me with bad news. But he immediately showed me a car which was already at the port that was a Carbon Black m-sport 528. I was, to say the least, pleasantly surprised.

btw, I think ordering a Sport Pack deep sea blue vehicle and then changing the bumpers to m-sport will be the cheapest/easiest option.

Thanks for the info. It's good to know that Carbon Black is indeed available on all of the 5's, although it's much too dark a blue for me personally. However, it's scary to think that the BMW configurator could be wrong... I thought it was sacrosanct !

I'll be ordering a 535i at either the end of the month or the beginning of July. I've been told by several local BMW dealers that ordering info for the 2012's will be announced by month-end and I'm waiting to see if there'll be any new colors available. I'm hoping that with the introduction of the M5, they might add a new blue that'll be exclusive to the M Sport option: Le Mans Blue or possibly Monte Carlo Blue (expected for the M5, although doubtful on the M Sport).

With the E60 5 series, you could order the M Sport package with Deep Sea Blue, which to my eye looks great. With the current 3-series, they ADDED an exclusive color choice - Le Mans Blue - that's ONLY available with the M Sport option.

So what'd they do on the F10 5's ? Not only isn't there a unique blue like on the 3's, but they won't allow a DSB car to have M Sport. Yes, I know that there's always Imperial Blue with M Sport as an option, but it's too dark. And trust me, I know my BMW Blues (I owned an '01 E38 740i with Sport Package in Steel Blue, my wife drives an '08 E65 750i with Sport Package in Monaco Blue, same color as my daughter's '08 335i, my '05 K1200S is Indigo Blue and Alpine White, etc.).

I even looked into special ordering a 2011 M Sport in DSB, but was told it would cost an extra $5,500. I might be willing to cough up an extra $2,500-$3,000 for this sweet combination, but even I realize it would be bone-headed to spend $5.5K just for a different color blue.

I have exactly the same problem. I want to order a DSB/Oyster-Black 550i M-Sport. I am waiting for a Sept build 2012 though so have a small hope things will change.

Couple of questions:

1) Did you get your dealer to check with BMWNA if they can push through the DSB without additional charge since it is a build-to-order car and DSB is not a premium color? I remember they did that for me once when I was bought a E46 330Cic.

I did that with my ex E60, it was a SE model with Monaco Blue, 2 years down the line got my dealer to install the M package, the final job was an SE comfort for our Irish roads with the looks of an M, the original order was with the sport steering wheel, got to change the manual gear handle to the M one. The difference in price was not a big deal more than the price new, and to me it felt like a new car. attached a picture of it being sold after I collected my F10 M sport 520d.

I have exactly the same problem. I want to order a DSB/Oyster-Black 550i M-Sport. I am waiting for a Sept build 2012 though so have a small hope things will change.

Couple of questions:

1) Did you get your dealer to check with BMWNA if they can push through the DSB without additional charge since it is a build-to-order car and DSB is not a premium color? I remember they did that for me once when I was bought a E46 330Cic.

2) What did you do in the end?

Thanks for letting me know I'm not the only one frustrated by the inability to order a DSB F10 with the M Sport Package. To answer your questions, 1) the salesman I'm working with is extremely knowledgeable, and after checking with his BMWNA rep he assures me that the ONLY possible way to order this combination is by paying the $5,500 special color ordering fee. 2) I'm still waiting to see what the 2012 model year changes bring. I've got my fingers crossed. However, in the meantime, to tide me over, at the beginning of the month I bought a 1998 Z3 in ATLANTA BLUE, manual transmission... it's a hoot, and now I can wait until 1Q 2012 to get my F10 in the right color with the M Sport package. In other words, I punted !

I did that with my ex E60, it was a SE model with Monaco Blue, 2 years down the line got my dealer to install the M package, the final job was an SE comfort for our Irish roads with the looks of an M, the original order was with the sport steering wheel, got to change the manual gear handle to the M one. The difference in price was not a big deal more than the price new, and to me it felt like a new car. attached a picture of it being sold after I collected my F10 M sport 520d.

I'm not sure what an SE model is. Is that the same as the Sport Package in the USA ? Your car certainly looks like an M Sport model, albeit with chrome around the windows instead of shadowline trim. But in the US you could have ordered a Monaco Blue E60 with the M Sport (or the DSB with M-Sport) so could you please help me understand what you achieved by doing what you did ? The suspension is the same on the M Sport as the non-M-Sport in the US, so that's why I'm confused.

BTW, in looking at MANY 2011 535's and 550's, I've decided that without question 1) Imperial Blue is absolutely too dark for me, so I will not be ordering the car in this color; 2) I absolutely want my car to have the M-Sport package, in order to get those gorgeous wheels and the more aggressive body trim (including the subtly-wider lower side trim molding); 3) The only color that appeals to me is Deep Sea Blue. Yes, I realize I'm being quite picky, but hey, car color obviously matters to all of us, which is why there are usually so many choices. Check out Porsche, or Audi for that matter!

Thus, as it stands now, unless BMW offers some new colors for 2012 or allows me to configure a 2012 DSB car with the M-Sport package, my only option appears to be to pay $5,500 for a special order color (in which case I'm going to order Le Mans Blue for a totally unique car), or to... buy something else ? I love the MB E350 in Quartz Blue, but it's obviously not the car the F10 is...

If you want to pay $5.5K for an exclusive blue, why not go for interlagos blue instead of lemans? Lemans blue used to be an M exclusive color, but has been available on non-M 3 series for a few years now. Interlagos, IMO looks better than lemans and is still exclusively M.